WO2012171058A1

WO2012171058A1 - Outdoor pump positioning apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2012171058A1
Application number: PCT/AU2012/000677
Authority: WO
Inventors: Adrian Sebastian Anthony ROMANO; Armando Romano
Original assignee: Miniera Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2011-06-14
Filing date: 2012-06-14
Publication date: 2012-12-20
Also published as: AU2012269721A1; ZA201308985B

Abstract

A pump positioning and driving vehicle for remote sites such as mines having a trailer with a jib for raising and lowering a water pump down the face of a site to submerge the pump which rides on a cart with wheels. The cart is connected to the trailer by a pair of hoses which are wound on a reel. A hydraulic generator on the trailer supplies power to the pump through the hoses which return water output from the pump to the trailer where it discharges into a drainage conduit. In a variant, the trailer has an electrical generator and one of the hoses contains an electrical cable for driving an electric pump motor. The trailer wheels rise hydraulically to allow the trailer to lie on the ground.

Description

TITLE OF IN VENTION

Outdoor Pump Positioning Apparatus TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention concerns apparatus for assisting pumping operations in outdoor sites such as open cast mines.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Such sites tend to accumulate rainwater and groundwater which results in large ponds in the deepest part. If these impede the movement of vehicles used in mining operations and prove generally inconvenient a submersible pump may be installed to lift the water to a level where it flows to a more convenient place. As operations proceed, levels change and ideally the pump site needs to change. If the pump does not have its own power supply pump relocation entails difficulty.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0003] A first aspect of the invention provides a pump positioning and driving apparatus for a remote electric liquid pump, comprising a reel for paying out hose for connection to the remote pump in order to receive pump output, a reel for paying out both an electrical cable and a safety cable inside a protective hose for connection to the remote pump and an electrical generator for supplying current to the pump via the electrical cable.

[0004] A second aspect of the invention provides a pump positioning and driving apparatus for a remote liquid pump comprising a trailer with a pair of reels for paying out hose for connection to a remote pump in order to receive pump output, each reel containing a hydraulic line for connection to the remote pump and a trailer source of hydraulic power for supplying fluid to the pump via the lines. [0005] In the reel for paying out hoses for connection to the remote pump in order to receive pump output, one hose may be used as a conduit for the water discharge from the remote pump and the other hose may be used as a conduit containing hydraulic hoses and a safety cable. Both hoses may be used as water discharge pipes if a higher duty is required.

[0006] The reels may lie side by side and are activated by a common driver or situated on the same reel with a frame separating each separate hose. The hoses are accordingly extended and retracted in equal increments. The hose for the water pump may be 150-200mm in diameter. The hose for the electrical cable and safety line may be of the same size in order to keep the increments the same. Both hoses may be of the same diameter and length in order to keep the increments the same.

[0007] A jib may elevate the hoses as they leave the reels sufficiently to raise the pump off the ground and preferably to load it onto a trailer. The jib may support cable guides for layering the hose neatly and turning the hoses through 90-140°. The pump hose may be connected to a coupling on the apparatus which in turn is connected to an exit conduit for directing the water output to another flowline such as a pipeline.

[0008] A jib at the rear of the machine may extend over the edge of the high wall and elevate the hoses as they leave the reels sufficiently to lower and raise the pump down the high wall. The jib may support cable guides for layering the hose neatly and turning the hoses through 90- 140°. The jib assembly may also contain hydraulic driven rollers which when powered, feed the hose out and in turn lower the pump. The pump hose may be connected to a coupling on the apparatus which in turn is connected to an exit conduit for directing the water output to another flowline such as a pipeline.

[0009] The remote cart containing the pump may be supported by tandem wheel axles for assistance when the pump cart is being lowered and raised down the high wall. These axles may feature 4 independent hydraulically driven wheels to assist in the carts movement up and down the wall. [0010] The main apparatus housing the reel and motor unit may have a heavy duty base supported by tandem wheels lowered by hydraulics in conjunction with a tow hitch for towing to the next site. These wheels may be able to raise the apparatus for towing and inversely, be able to move upward and free from ground contact when in its working position. Alternatively the apparatus may have a base with a push pad at the front and upstanding frame members which are engage able by a bulldozer or like machine for pushing without the assistance of wheels.

[0011] The main apparatus housing the reel and motor unit may also contain a fuel reservoir for the supply of diesel to the diesel motor and an oil reservoir for the supply of hydraulic oil as to drive the remote pump.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0012] 1. Large capacity submersible hydraulic pumps can be deployed at the foot of an inclined mine wall and supplied with pressurized oil from a hydraulic motor powered by diesel motor, located on top of the wall.

[0013] 2. The safety of the electrical cable and hydraulic lines are assured. [0014] 3. The pump is always retrievable because of the safety cable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] One embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus.

[0017] Figure 2 is a front view of the reels showing the hose tubes.

[0018] Figure 3 is a side view of the reels showing the gear ring drive. [0019] Figure 4A is a diagram of the hose arrangements for hydraulic drive. [0020] Figure 4B is a diagram of the hose arrangmeent for electrical drive. [0021 ] Figure 5 is a section of the coupling for water and powerline junction. [0022] Figure 6 is a front view of the end of the jib. [0023] Figure 7 is a side view of the end of the jib. [0024] Figure 8 is an end view of the cart. [0025] Figure 9 is an end view of Figure 8.

[0026] Figure 10 is an exploded view of the wheel assemblies for the chassis of Figure 1. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Referring now to the drawings, the chassis of trailer 4 is made of longitudinal girders 6 about 6m long with ramp faces 8 at the front and rear ends. A pair of oblique plates 12 are joined by a pair of transverse sleeves 14 and these together support a push pad 16 which projects beyond the rear end. These constitute the surfaces for pushing or pulling the trailer into an operation position in a mining site. A retractable tow hitch 18 is housed within the trailer frame flanked by girders 6.

[0028] Girders 6 support a reel frame 20 made of channel-section girders 22 to which is attached upper jib bracket 24. Lower jib brackets 26 are fixed to girders 6. These provide horizontal transverse axes for mounting steel jib 28 which extends about 3m in front of trailer 4. Beside the reel frame 20 is a housing for a 20001 fuel tank 30 and a hydraulic oil tank 32.

Between the housing 32 and the push pad is a diesel engine 34 and a hydraulic pump 36. [0029] The reel frame 20 itself supports a pair of side by side reels 38, 40 (Figures 3 and 4). The reels are fixed to a common shaft which is hollow in order to release pump water through static outlet pipe 42. The shaft is connected to hose unions 44 by L-shaped pipes 46. The reels are 3400mm is diameter and 1950mm wide. Hose bed 48 is about 2000mm in diameter. A gear ring 50 is fixed to one of the reel discs and torque is generated by a hydraulic motor (not shown) supplied by hydraulic pump 36. Hydraulic oil reaches the reels through sealed ports in journal 51.

[0030] The reels 38, 40 each hold 110m of 180mm diameter polyethylene hose. Both hoses 52, 54 are clamped to water pump 56 (see Figure 9). Each hose 52, 54 contains a 50mm diameter hydraulic line 58, 60 seen in Figure 4A. These exert some drag on the pump water flowing toward and through the reels. Drag is reduced at entry and exit by use of the fabricated couplings 62 shown in Figure 6.

[0031] The hose coupling 62 has a curved part 64 which terminates in a threaded hose connector 66. The opposite end terminates in pipe flange 68. To the curved part 64 is welded a circular entry 70 to which is screwed an L-shaped hydraulic tube 72. The hydraulic line 58 is connected to tube 72 which projects toward the centre of the hose connector 66.

[0032] When the reels unwind the hoses, the hoses are ternsioned by the weight of the water pump 56 and would tend to flatten thereby reducing the hose capacity and flow rate. The top of the jib 28 has a transverse square tube 76 from which is suspended arcuate guide assembly 78. A camera 80 on the jib allows the operator to view the face wall below the jib when the apparatus is working. A ram and connector bracket 82 extends from the jib for the purpose of steadying the pump assembly 56 when travelling.

[0033] The arcuate guide assembly turns the hoses through about 140°. Twin tracks 84, 86 are free to slide left and right mimicking the layering effect which occurs during reeling. A layering ram 88 reacting against the jib produces the necessary movement. While the reels are driven by the reel drive, the guide assembly augments this feed motion by causing the reels to pass in an arc over multiple pairs of capstan shaped rollers 90 about 150mm in diameter, all of which are rotated by hydraulic motors 92 fixed to the inner face of tracks 84, 86 (see Figures 7 and 8).

[0034] The hydraulic lines for the ram 82, the layering ram 88 and the roller motors 92 are fixed to the jib. From the jib they run inside the C-section girders 6 of the reel frame to the hydraulic pump 36. A console 94 next to the diesel engine has a video screen 96 which shows the operator the camera output. The auto tracking camera zooms in on the pump as it transverses toward the pump site. Handheld remote controls using radio waves allow the operator to walk away from the trailer to inspect the pumps progress.

[0035] Referring now to Figures 8 and 9, cart 100 has two pairs of wheels 102, 104, each of which has a small hydraulic motor 106. The cart supports a centrifugal pump 56 with a central inflow duct 110 protected by strainer 112. The pump outflow divides into two rearwardly facing tubes 114, 116 which are coupled to hoses 58, 60. The hydraulic lines 58, 60 inside the hoses emerge from couplings 118, 120 and are connected to pump motor 122 in order to drive the centrifugal water pump 56. These couplings are the same as couplings 62 shown in Figure 6. The components all nest within a capsule shaped cage 124 made of steel bars. A curved bash plate 126 passes between wheels 102, 104.

[0036] In use the trailer is towed if it has wheels and if not it is pushed by a bulldozer to a site at the edge of a sloping face down which the cart 100 can run while tethered by the hoses. The trailer is prepared for cart descent by lowering it so that the girders 6 contact the ground. This is possible by utilising the special construction of the two pairs of wheels shown in Figure 10.

[0037] Hollow shaft 130 is housed in the face of girder 6. Swinging arm 32 carries first wheel 134 on stub shaft 136. Second wheel 138 is carried by a cranked swinging arm 140 which pivots about shaft 142. Shaft 142 slides into hollow shaft 130. The ends of both arms are connected to a double acting ram 144. Actuation of this ram raises and lowers the trailer on the wheels.

[0038] The jib can be rotated about lower jib brackets 26 in order to bring the jib to ground level for maintenance. In use the trailer has integral steel staircases. [0039] In a variant shown in Figure 4B, one hose 54 carries only water while hose 52 contains an electric cable 146 and a hawser 148 which acts as a safety line. Instead of an hydraulic pump, the diesel engine drives a generator and the water pump is driven by an electric motor and the hose rollers in the arcuate assembly are also driven by individual electric motors.

[0040] In our co-pending application no. PCT/AU2012/000627 we describe a trailer which carries a mobile lighting tower which could be used to illuminate the installation of a pump of the type described herein.

[0041] It is to be understood that the word "comprising" as used throughout the specification is to be interpreted in its inclusive form, ie. use of the word "comprising" does not exclude the addition of other elements.

[0042] It is to be understood that various modifications of and/or additions to the invention can be made without departing from the basic nature of the invention, these modifications and/or additions are therefore considered to fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A pump positioning and driving apparatus for a remote electric liquid pump comprising a trailer with a reel for paying out hose for connection to the remote pump in order to receive pump output, a reel for paying out hydraulic or electrical power lines inside a protective hose for connection to the remote pump and a trailer source of hydraulic or electrical power for supplying current or fluid to the pump via the lines.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the hose containing the electrical power line also contains a safety line which connects the pump to the trailer.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the trailer has a towing hitch at one end, a jib at the opposite end for elevating the hoses, reel supports adjacent the jib and an internal combustion engine between the towing hitch and the reel supports.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-3, wherein the protective hose also contains a safety cable.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 , wherein the reels lie side by side and are activated by a common driver.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-3, wherein the two hoses are of equal diameter.

7. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the diameter is 150-200mm.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-7, wherein a jib elevates the hoses as they leave the reels sufficiently to lift the pump off the ground.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-8, wherein the jib supports hose guides which turn the hoses through an angle of 90-140°.

10. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 -9, wherein the puhip hose is connected to a coupling on the apparatus for the purpose of directing liquid output to another flowline-.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-10 supported on a base with a push pad at the rear and an upstanding frame member which are engageable by a bulldozer.

12. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-10 supported on a trailer with wheels on extendable supports, whereby the trailer rests on the ground in its working position and the trailer lifts off the ground to attain the travel position.

13. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-12, wherein the trailer has two pairs of wheels, each wheel being mounted on a swinging arm, the arms being paired and each pair being interconnected by a ram for raising and lowering the trailer off the ground.

14. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-13, wherein the trailer has a hydraulic tow hitch.

15. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 6-14, wherein the jib is hinged to the trailer for lowering toward the ground.

16. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-15, wherein the reels are supported on the trailer by frames made of channel section girders for accommodation of hydraulic and other lines.

17. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-16, wherein the hydraulic line and hose are connected by a tubular coupling with a hose end which receives the hose and an opposite angled end which clamps to the apparatus in order to handle water flow and the angled end has an external pipe mount for a pipe with an internal end which projects inside the trailer coupling toward the hose end and an external end which lies outside the coupling for connection to a source of hydraulic fluid.

18. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 3-17, wherein a camera on the jib allows an operator to view the pump as it transverses a high wall face.

19. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 9-18, wherein the guides are multiple rollers, at least some of which are hydraulically driven to assist movement of the hoses.

20. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 9-19, wherein the guides are reciprocable by a layering ram.

21. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-21, wherein the pump is mounted on a cart with wheels driven by hydraulic or electric power delivered through the hose or hoses.

22. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 9-21, wherein the water pump is stabilised for travelling by a ram extending from the jib.

23. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 21 or 22, wherein the pump cart has a cage surrounding the pump.

24. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 23, wherein the cage is capsule shaped.

25. A pump positioning and driving apparatus for a remote liquid pump comprising a trailer with a pair of reels for paying out hose for connection to a remote pump in order to receive pump output, each reel containing a hydraulic line for connection to the remote pump and a trailer source of hydraulic power for supplying fluid to the pump via the lines.